Legend of Zelda: World's Decay, Book 1: Dreams
by Scrat
Summary: Monsters are claiming all lands for their own. They seige the last bastion, Hyrule City. Those locked within survive by making their own dream world. A world before hope was lost. A world when heroes still existed.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The windmill was old; built of bricks with one of the arms half broken off there was nothing appealing about the building. Few would guess that it was the entrance to the Temple of Dust. Which is likely why it had fallen so low as to be put on the list of temples to clear out. Shaking his head and loosening his limbs, Link figured he may as well get started. Whatever the reasoning, the temple had to be cleared and there was no advantage to waiting.

The doors opened as he approached revealing nothing more broken milling supplies. There was no light beside the rays of sun streaming through the open temple doors, casting long shadows. There was nothing to guard against, no puzzle. Not a single trick to start off the temple. On the watch, but rather unconcerned, Link left the entrance. Immediately, the doors slammed close.

Link could feel a scowl forming. Not usually a problem, but he hadn't bothered to refill his extra oil bottle before coming. Reaching back for his lantern, he felt his hope sinking at its light weight. He gently sloshed it around anyway and listened carefully. Sounded about a third full of oil. Temples didn't tend to like leaving players in the dark, so it should last until he found a torch.

It took only a second to light his lantern. The room was as lacking as before. Skirting the edge of the room, he found the access point to the temple; a ladder descending into the dark. His footsteps echoed as he walked over, the ceiling high enough the lantern light didn't reach it. Leaning over, Link could see nothing dangerous. No obvious monster lurking, but no torch lit with a warm glow either. Shallow enough he could see the ground, meaning no damage configuration. Switching his lantern to his right hand, Link pulled out his sword and stepped up to the edge. Nothing happened. Shrugging, he jumped down.

Upon hitting the floor, no monster jumped him. No monster jumped at him as he explored behind the ladder to find a couple of dusty boxes stacked haphazardly. No monster jumped at him when he stumbled due to tripping over a pebble. No monster jumped at him when he returned to the ladder and stared at the black of the path he had to take.

Of course, considering the room was large enough that his flickering lantern didn't reach the wall on either side, let alone in front of him, hypothetically a monster could be lying in wait. Unlikely, yes, but possible.

To his great sadness, no monster jumped at him as he ventured forth into the darkness.

Link had cleared enough temples that design features built to inspire fear or panic barely had him noticing, but it was no reason to be careless. As he headed forward, he walked slowly and held his sword at ready waiting for a trap to trigger or monster to appear. Seven steps in, two torches on either side of the room lit directly behind him.

Link spun sword already starting to swing, expecting a back attack, only to be met with nothing. Frowning, he looked over his shoulder in the direction he had originally been heading, but nothing. No sounds, no sights, only the faintest hint of mustiness. As if the temple had been shut and forgotten about. Extinguishing his lamp, hoping to spare what little oil he had, Link took one of the wall torches. New players, he was aware, were often too hesitant to truly interact with the temples. Even some veteran players he knew didn't like to move anything about in the temple. Link never understood it. Why waste his own supplies?

Torch in his right hand, Link continued down the hallway. It was strangely long, and it didn't take but a few steps to notice the walls were slowly closing in on each other. Soon enough, if he were to stretch his arms to either side, Link would be able to touch both walls. Still no sign of monsters, but now he was relieved, fighting in such a narrow hallway would not be easy.

Before Link had cause to truly worry, the hall ended at a door. A fairly weak looking and poorly constructed door. Still, the room beyond it was as dark as the hallway had originally been. Deciding to take no chances, Link kicked the door in, sword on guard and stepping over the threshold even as it clunked against the wall. For a breath, nothing happened. Beginning to relax his stance, Link leapt back as four torches lit at once, far brighter than flame alone could be.

The room revealed was nothing special. Normal sized, good for a battle against two or three foes, with a door on each wall. Some crates and jars were shoved in the corners of the room. Water was pooling into puddles in a couple places.

Avoiding the first puddle, which seemed strangely deep, Link dropped the torch to unlatch his shield. Settling it into position with the ease of practice, Link went fully armed and armored to kick over the jars and nudge the boxes looking for any spare items. Nothing. He entered the center of the room, which he had been skirting, but still nothing. No additional torches, no puzzles, no activated monsters. It was strange, but not the worst thing he's come across. When temples went unused for long periods of time monsters had a tendency to congregate, it's just usually they didn't like too large of crowds and so spread across the temple. Here, it was likely they were hidden deeper in the temple.

Walking forward, to the door directly across from the one he had entered, he tried the handle of the much sturdier looking door. There was no keyhole, but the door refused to budge. Perhaps a one-way door, a quick exit from the end of the temple then. Unworried, he tried the door to the left of where he entered. It gave easily, and he was three steps inside the room before the torches lit, revealing another empty room. Unlike the one he just exited, there were no other doors, only an opening to a shadowed area.

Slightly concerned, Link searched about the room. This was the fourth room of the temple, surely he should have come across monsters or a puzzle by now. He headed for the open doorway expecting a trap, but he crossed the room without trouble. Staring into darkness, he doubled back to retrieve a torch off the wall. His new light source revealed a curved wall covered in ivy, leading up to darkness. Link couldn't see a ceiling. Perhaps this temple was finally starting to pick up.

The floor here was mostly dry, so he dropped his torch on the ground and pulled out his lantern again. Swishing it, then glancing up, Link figured it'd be just his luck to had the light go out as he was climbing. He had been so busy lately he hadn't made the time to prep his gear as carefully as usual. And had been cocky enough to not bother with restocking for this mission. A mistake. At least his magic reservoir was fine and his spells primed for use. That, at least, he had made time to see to. Scrolling through his list of spells, he selected the simple spell _light_ and cast it to his lantern. Another trick most newbies took forever to figure out. The lantern helped reflect the small light, allowing for less consumption of magic and more light. Attaching the lantern to his belt blocked some of the light, but it allowed him both hands for climbing.

Scaling any wall always impressed townsies, but in reality was very simple. The grate ivy grew on in temples were very sturdy, unlike the lightweight ones used in town. Monsterless as this temple might be, lacking puzzles as it was, the grate proved strong enough for climbing.

It didn't take long to scale the wall, but after going up to what should be the ground level outside the temple Link found himself stuck. There was a small wooden platform, but after pulling himself up onto and sitting on it, he looked about in confusion. There was no chest, no further path, no level - not even an eye to shoot. No trick to continue on. Just an empty platform at the top of an empty room.

This temple was proving rather unsatisfactorily empty.

Something was definitely wrong.

Scooting over so that his legs could hang off the edge, Link could faintly make out his flickering torch. Nothing appeared different. Nothing was triggered by his climb here, but perhaps the main room - the one with four doors, was affected? Nothing to it but to check, so Link lowered himself off the platform, allowing himself to hang by his fingers. The drop was no more than what the ladder had been, not far enough for damage to be configured, so he let himself drop.

Landing was nothing spectacular. No monster attacked while he was retrieving his sword and shield, readying them again. Shrugging, he dismissed the _light_ spell and banished the lantern, shouldered his shield again and picked up his torch. No reason to waste magic and considering the slow response of wall torches so far, he wasn't going to trust their reliability.

He left the half circle room that led nowhere for the connected room, taking a moment to search it again. It was the same; still empty. Sighing, he returned to the main room at a faster pace wondering if he was just going to walk through the entire temple with nothing to do at all. He opened the door and paused, hand still resting on the handle. The door across the way, the only door he had yet to try, was now open. Shifting slightly, as if feeling a breeze in this still environment, the door creaked.

Link carefully set the torch down, not making a noise, and adjusted his shield and readied his sword once more. Perhaps the climb had been a trigger after all.

Carefully stepping into the room, his survey showed nothing else changed. Avoiding puddles, he approached the open door but could see nothing of the room or corridor beyond it. The torches seemed to dim as he closed in on the door. Finally. Something was happening.

He crossed the threshold cautiously, sure now something would attack him. As he was turning to glance behind him, he caught glimpse of the spear from the corner of his eye. Jumping to the side, into the wall, he avoided it. It stopped and drew back into the darkness, no torches lighting the way. The monster left nothing to question however, stepping boldly forward as Link scrambled back into the previous room. Dim lights were better than none.

Link lifted an eyebrow as the light fully revealed the monster - a goblin. The giant pig faced monster snarled as it slowly followed Link into the new room, his leather armor creaking. Link kept pace, making sure to always be beyond reach of the spear. A goblin? A bit big for the low ceiling of an underground temple and out of place. He had never seen one outside of a forest or prison themed temple.

The goblin charged and Link dodged easily to the side, watching the monster ram right into the wall. Taking advantage, Link attacked the open back of the goblin, cleanly slashing and causing a bellow of pain before jumping back as the goblin spun swinging his spear. Link's foot hit one of the puddles and slipped out from beneath him, causing him to crash into the wall.

Definitely not enough room in here for a team of fighters, meaning the goblin was not the monster that was supposed to be attacking.

Unwilling to waste time, Link regained his footing and went for a head on attack, hitting the spear up enough he could duck beneath it as it came swinging towards him, leaving the goblin wide open for an attack. Link took the opening, plunging his sword into the goblin's chest. Pulling out, he finished the monster quickly with a slash to the neck. Link jumped back as the goblin exploded into smoke, only to slip again as he landed in another strangely slick puddle.

Already sitting on the floor, Link checked the water he slipped in twice now. It looked and smelled like water, but to touch it was thicker and slimy. It clung to his fingers, like grease. Curious, he retrieved his torch and set it to a puddle, but the strange liquid did not catch. Pity, he could have filled his oil bottle with it.

Looking around the room, he noticed the additional puddles. Where before there had only been a couple small ones, now they had grown in size and quantity. Half the floor had to be covered.

Rather than shouldering his shield, Link left it to dangle on his arm. A bit uncomfortable, but it would allow for a faster response. Considering the goblin, the extra speed might just be required.

The torch proved useful as he passed through the opened door. No wall torches lit to show the way, and his own torch seemed sadly lacking. Something had to be interfering. The floor, at least, was dry.

He reached the end of the hallway without another attack, and turned the corner to find the ceiling dipping a bit lower. It appeared almost to be sagging. Luckily, a door was in sight on the left. He headed directly for it and didn't wait upon reaching it, kicking it down and shoving his torch forward for light. For once, the room had something inside.

Giant boxes.

The room was filled with giant boxes. Walking the perimeter, Link found a barred door on the wall opposite his entrance. The boxes filling the center of the room were lined up four by four for a possibility of sixteen boxes. Deciding to check it out, for what else was he to do, Link gently threw his torch, still his only source of light, atop the nearest box. In the shadowed darkness he ran up the side of the box and caught the edge with his fingertips, hauling himself up. The ceiling was low enough not to allow him to stand, rather he proceeded with a crouching walk. He kept his head low enough to prevent it from scraping against the grime on the ceiling. Picking up his torch, he crawled about to see what he had to work with.

There were three boxes missing, the spots where two of them would have stood were giant switches. Nothing terribly difficult. Why bother? The puzzle seemed more a waste of time than test of skill. Likely, as was the rest of this temple, it was broken.

Leaving the torch at the top of the block, Link jumped down to pull a box over one of the switches. Hopefully it wasn't time or order dependent because he wasn't sure how many switches there were. Yanking at the block, he frowned when it didn't shift. Considering there were three handles provided on each side of the box, it was unsurprising one man couldn't move it, but it would have been nice if he could have. A bit annoying, but easy enough. Looking over his spell list, he selected _strength_ and put only a trickle of magic in. Strength enough for two men and rarely did a box need more.

Pulling, once more the box failed to shift. Frowning, Link increased the strength of his spell, pouring in enough magic to bring it to its second level but still the box didn't shift. Not cool. Taking a slow breath, Link gathered his magic and poured it into the spell, maxing it. Yanking once more, the box begin to move into place. Despite its movement, Link had to truly struggle to get it even halfway. Jumping up, he dropped back on the other side of the block to push it fully into place.

Once the box was correctly positioned, Link released the draining, fully powered _strength_ spell. He felt strangely exhausted, the spell hadn't been in place long enough to tire him so thoroughly. Something in the room must be affecting how magic worked, similar to how something was dimming the torches. Perhaps to add to the difficulty of the task? Considering the lack of anything else in this temple that might be it.

In an attempt to cover the last switch, he uncovered two more. Three boxes later he was sitting in the shadowed alcove, back against the block and panting, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Okay, maybe not broken, just annoying. Had he gotten lucky in his pick? He was starting to believe the entire floor was switches and it lacked only three - one for each missing boxes. But what would be the purpose, no one would stay in this temple if they had to deal with this.

The release on the barred door reminded him of his purpose. Despite being so late, at least it opened and progress was being made. Taking a slow breath, calming his heart and restoring a sense of balance, Link climbed the boxes one last time to grab his torch. It had been left sitting safely above to provide what light it could while he had been busy moving boxes. He moved until he could jump down directly before the recently unbarred door, but stumbled the landing due to his exhaustion. A quick check of his magic revealed its low levels, all but an impossibility for him. His magic now matched most of his gear, practically empty.

Stepping forward, he opened the door and looked around the new room. It was empty but for a chest, sitting in the direct middle. Unfortunately, the chest fit the theme of the temple, it was laying open and empty. It was a fairly large chest, implying something of importance had laid there at one point in time. This was a situation he had never come across in a temple before.

The report for this temple would prove rather long. He was usually only sent for over-spawning of monsters, not for temple bugs. Typically temple bugs caused the temple to be shut down, not left open for players to stumble across. There was nothing to do but continue on and see what else might be working or not in this temple. It'd have to be shut down, but perhaps whoever had to do the repairs would appreciate the thorough report. Especially considering the error report that originally sent him to clear this temple appeared wrong, lacking even a hint to the problems in this temple.

Exiting back to the hallway, Link continued on. He kept an eye out for anything strange, but the hallway was as bland as the first room had been. It continued on for a ways, before ending and leaving only a second door on the left. He opened it slowly, too tired to slam it open and draw attention of all who might be in the room. Before even entering, he could tell it was different. There was the loud rumble of a large collection of people: metal clanging, voices mumbling, enraged calls. Edging inside, there was no direct light, but the far wall proved to be a balcony instead. Light from underneath it - whatever it was overlooking, gave off a dim glow.

Leaving the torch near the door, Link quietly crossed the room and got down on his belly to inch to the very edge of the balcony. Staring through the pillar supports for the railing, his eyes widened at the sight.

Whatever purpose the room below originally had was lost, filled instead to the brim with monsters. In the one room alone there had to be eighty, if not a hundred. The monsters stood on top of each other, one, as Link watched, grew offended and battled another. There was barely room enough to swing their weapons. When one was killed, disappearing in smoke, the smoke cleared to show a new monster had spawned in its place.

More than that, the monsters had destroyed the walls, leaving gaping holes into the rooms beyond it. Rubble was everywhere and the monsters spilled between rooms, each as packed as the one next to it. Keese hung from the tops of broken walls, a couple taking flight when brushed against and screeching. Goblins were spread lightly throughout, grunting and muffing as they swung their spears for walking room. Stalfos, Lizardos, Dinolfos - all were in great numbers trying to walk around, almost as if they couldn't see the other monsters blocking their way.

Making the decision to back away - with no gear or magic it was an impossible fight, Link started to wiggle back.

For what happened next, there was no warning. The ledge he was hiding upon simply gave up the fight. With nary a noise, the ground beneath him crumbled sending Link toppling into the middle of the room below. With his sword beneath the rubble and struggling to free himself, his death was quick.

_**A gasp smells wrong it's all wrong smoke and burnt flesh and dim it's so dim oh and his eyes they hurt they hurt and hurt and he can't breath his chest something is wrong with no his arm can't move green soft pulsing green like the mouth of a river across the sky and why does it HURT dizziness but he's laying he hasn't moved and what is below him why is it so hard so soft and his head and it's toxic his noise can't handle it and there's something in his muscles there's something there what what what HURTS and the noise where has it gone wood it's wood and it's unlike anything why HUR-**_

Link bolted upright, hand reflectively against his chest, "What… what was that?"


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Just three quick notes. Thank you to those who reviewed, I greatly appreciate it. You can also find this story on AO3. Lastly, this story will be updated very slowly, but it will get finished. _

**Chapter 2**

Link took his time getting ready, dressing and double checking all his gear. His sword, lost beneath the debris of the temple, was back safe in its sheath. His lantern was problematic as it appeared to have a crack running along the glass. It was a first, he'd never had any equipment break on him before.

He was thorough in checking everything a second time after that discovery but it failed to keep his mind off the real problem - something had gone wrong with his reboot. As the most highly advanced AI he had over the years run into quite a few errors in how programming reacted to him. Smaller things, inconsequential things. But his rebooting? Not a minor issue there.

Rebooting was different between AIs and players. For players, who logged on and off every day, they had no choice and were stuck with the default of utilizing the bed. A process that none of them complained about because, as a friend of Link's clarified, to access the game they had to be laying down and connected through their bed at home. AIs were allowed to pick their reboot option, rare as it might be for them to have to use it. Most AIs stayed away from danger, too busy learning the system and fixing errors or playing nanny to players. Link was a little unique in his role, and so he had chosen to reboot at the entrance of wherever he died, fully dressed and geared up to match his "pre-death" state. It allowed him to get back to action without pause, something he knew many players were jealous of.

It had never failed him before.

Trying to shake the strange feeling, unwilling and unsure if it could be called fear, Link finally left the Great Deku Tree. While a great sanctuary and home base, players weren't allowed in and he needed to restock his items. Once his items were replenished, he'd check if there was anything on his notice list for jobs.

Link wandered down the path from the Great Deku Tree to the very center of the city. The main market of Hyrule City was located behind the Temple a ways, easily reachable from the city's center.

Hyrule City was built around three primary sites - the Great Deku Tree, Hyrule Castle, and the Temple. The three were set in a wide grassy expanse, creating peace inside the chaotic and lively city as well as acting as landmarks to guide the lost. The Great Deku Tree was the tallest, enveloping the entire city under his branches and providing shade. While not as tall, Hyrule Castle was open to the public. It acted not only as the seat of power, but as a museum of Hyrulian history. Last, completing the triangle, was the Temple. While gorgeous and awe-inspiring, it was rarely visited by players. It stood representing a faith long abandoned by Hyrulians.

He knew most players would rather teleport to the entrance of the market, intimidated by the Temple, but Link never understood that. It was a beautiful sight, and he felt a longing inside him every time he saw it. A wish that he wasn't just an AI, a wish he could worship in its halls.

Silly, but true. Probably one of his best kept secrets.

No matter his hurry, he strolled by the Temple. Today, like most other days, no one was in sight as he passed. He was free to take in the stained glass windows, the Goddesses standing guard over the entrance, the feeling of peace. As always, he chose the left pathway to skirt the Temple, eyes following the lines of the mural covering the side of the temple. It showcased the only bit of history the Castle ignored - how the game came to be. To be honest, most of it made no sense to Link, a wave of Hyrulians running in fear with monsters in the distance, a ranch of no distinction, the Royal Family's ancestors and a circle of mages, a city hidden behind a shining barrier. Despite this, Link loved it. In a way, he viewed it to be the story of his creation.

Yet no matter how he dragged his feet, soon enough he was past and traveling the streets of the city. The housing closest to the central city was most expensive, and the section Link was walking through was typically reserved for the best of merchants. There wasn't much housing, just enough to muffle the noise from the marketplace to preserve the peace of the central greenery. It didn't take long to travel through and then Link was walking between stalls, dodging people and ignoring merchants screaming for attention of their wares.

The shop he was heading to had its own building, well-enough off to be able to afford a permanent space in a rather good location. He was old friends with the owner, a Hylian townie. Darin had started out on the gaming side, hitting the temples with his twin brother but it hadn't taken long before he was pushing his brother on and staying behind in town, haggling over items. He had started with a small stall on the outskirts of town selling off treasures his brother found and before long worked his way into his own Curiosity Shop.

Spotting the sign Link grinned. It wasn't known for gaming gear, but Darin kept a private stock for the Adventurer's Guild after his brother had joined their ranks. The Adventurer's Guild was dedicated to gaming and hitting the temples, by far the best of the best amongst players. Link was considered an honorary member, considering as an AI he couldn't truly join their ranks.

Fighting through the crowd Link made it through the open doorway, lessoning the noise. It was a relief. The Temple of Dust he ran through this morning left him unbalanced and as peaceful as his walk by the temple had been, walking through the market was its own kind of battle. Besides, he had been so busy with work in the past couple weeks he hadn't been able to talk to any of his friends. He'd been called to so many temples he'd even skipped coming to see Darin, keeping to the smaller villages where it was faster to get to the supply shops and back out.

Darin glanced up from dealing with a customer and waved. Link waved back, then turned and pursued the shelves. He wasn't in a hurry. Darin could finish up before talking to Link. Glancing back over his shoulder Link smiled. It had to be someone new or at least uncommon to the shop. Darin was as helpful as ever, playing the good shopkeeper, but he didn't have the same energy or light chatter going that he had with friends and dedicated customers. It always amused Link to see Darin trying to figure out new customers, the conversation was peppered with random questions about the customer's life, trying to figure out what would fit them best.

Darin glanced over again and then started shooing the customer out politely. Closing the door with promises of deliveries, he flipped the sign to Closed and locked the door, turning and smiling, "My good man! It's been far too long, at least two months now if I'm not wrong."

"Duty calls," Link answered with a small shrug, accepting Darin's hug as the older man reached him. At times, Darin and his brother felt like uncles to Link, a feeling he never shared with them. "It's been a couple busy months. I've been meaning to stop in for awhile now but…" he trailed off, the answer clear enough without stating it. It simply was how it was, "Anything new in to identify?"

Darin might focus on selling the unique treasures the Adventuring Guild or Elites, another guild focusing on tackling the temples, brought back to the townies, but in his spare time he enjoyed and held a license to identify unknown objects. Something not all together strange with his set up, he just did it more successfully than other, less popular, curiosity shops Link had been to.

"There was this strange box about three weeks ago now," Darin said. "We had high hopes for it, but turned out it was just a practice box dropped by a mage fifty or so years back in the temple. The Elites who brought it to me just had the lucky chance of it showing up in their loot." He raised an eyebrow, exchanging a humor filled look with Link, then headed through the back door to reveal the small counter containing weapons and supplies, "So, what do you need a refill on? You're looking a little scraggly there."

Link followed, glancing over the displayed items, "Honestly? Everything. It's been too long since I restocked. This morning I somehow even managed to crack my lantern." He summoned his lantern, showing off the thin cracks that looked much like a spider web would.

Darin whistled low, looking up from where he had started to bundle arrows together. As Link was allowed a higher than normal arrow count, Darin bundled them special and preferred to double check every arrow personally to ensure it was perfect. "Let me see that," Link handed it over without argument, watching as Darin held the lantern up to the light and turned it this way or that. "I've never heard of the lantern cracking before. How'd it happen?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't sure?" Link tried, but sighed when Darin just looked at him, having finally set the lantern down on the counter. He went to explain when his inbox dinged, a soft tonal noise signaling priority mail. Immediately he focused inward, pulling up his menu and selecting the new message, eyebrows raising as he noted the sender - the Royal Princess Zelda.

Princess Zelda wasn't very well known, regulated to the role of second-born and responsible for actions in the real world. Prince Daphnes, first born and nearing his twenty-seventh year, was heir and responsible for the politics of the people. Meaning, in this day and age, that he was constantly in the game and listened to their desires on new updates rather than direct and head armies. His mother, current Queen, was due to gracefully step down after reigning for forty years. The people were excited for the change, despite the fact that very little would, in fact, change.

Clicking into the letter, he was unsurprised at the formal language. The message, on the other hand, was a shock. Closing out and returning to the 'present' he found Darin watching him closely, looking concerned.

"Everything all right Link?" Darin asked, "Another temple to clear?" The worry in his voice was clear, though he was doing an impressive job of keeping his face smooth and relaxed.

Link shook his head, taking a moment to piece together the words through his surprise, "I've been summoned," then putting special emphasis, "by Princess Zelda."

"Zelda?" Darin questioned, looking impressed with the concern leaking in through the wrinkles in the corner of his eye, "I didn't know she entered the game. I wonder if it's the first time?"

"The real question," Link said, "is what she wanted with me. I'm just an AI responsible for clearing temples."

Darin caught on quickly, refocusing on the more serious matter, "And what does the Second-Born want with someone who she should never have need to contact?"

Link said nothing, a sense of urgency overtaking him. "I won't know till I go." He turned towards the door but hesitated, looking back at Darin, "I don't know how long I'll be…"

"Don't worry," Darin reassured, "I'm just as curious as you are, I'll be staying here till you get back." He gestured towards the arrows and supplies, "Besides, you still need your gear."

"Thanks," Link said, then exited. As soon as the door shut he bypassed the system and transferred to the Castle entrance. Typically, one was only allowed to teleport to and from entrances of cities and markets. As AI Link could bypass that, but it was rare he did. This situation warranted it.

Arriving at the entrance, Link was forced to banish his sword, habitually kept on his back with his shield. No weapons were allowed summoned in the castle, a leftover practice from the real world that could be enforced through coding.

Checking his map showed Zelda as a faintly glowing green dot, present as the letter promised to guide him to her. Incredibly helpful considering he had never been in the castle before and wouldn't have recognized any directions or locations. The dot appeared to be towards the back of the castle, so he took off at a slow trot.

The castle was a grand affair. Tall ceilings, wide halls, portraits of previous Kings and Queens, marbled floors cleaned to a sparkle, the occasional display of traditional weapons hanging on the walls. Link didn't truly take in the sights, the map overlaid his vision and he focused on it, ensuring he took the correct turns as needed to arrive as swiftly as possible before the Royal Princess. As he neared the dot, it became clear she wasn't actually inside the castle. Turning through one of the tall, wide doors, Link found himself in an outside garden. The assorted trees, bushes, and flowers carefully trimmed amongst the columns and half walls created an isolated world.

The encouraged growth and height of the plants allowed Zelda to remain invisible until the third turn in the path. As her form was revealed, perfectly matching the position on the overlaid map, Link immediately dropped to one knee, bowing his head, "Your Highness."

"Please, sit beside me," Princess Zelda asked, her voice strong but with a musical undertone to it. Here was someone trained to talk and give speeches. "There is something rather serious we must discuss."

Link nodded, and stood. Following orders came easily to him, coded within his nature, and he carefully sat on the stone bench beside her. Beyond that though, it was an awkward situation for him. He was an AI, nothing but an artificial intelligence sitting beside the one person who was perhaps the furthest removed from the game. "Princess Zelda. I was unsure what help I could be to you when I received your summons."

For a second, nothing was said. Zelda was examining him, considering while he stared off slightly to the side of her face. "I must be honest," She finally spoke, speaking slowly as if each word was a test, "I know you are a prototype AI, but I am unaware of your own self awareness and knowledge of things beyond your task. For instance, are you aware of my role as Second-born?"

"Only vaguely, Princess. You are the protecter of the shield and I thought you never entered the Game. I never had need to know more." Link replied, wondering if it was the wrong answer and if he would be dismissed now.

"And of your own self awareness and knowledge?" Zelda asked, pushing. Face as serene and unyielding as when he first spotted her.

Link cocked his head slightly, narrowing and unsure of how to answer, "It is a difficult assessment. Many players have been startled at my apparent realness. I have yet to notice a shortcoming in my own interactions, but I do not know if I would. As for my knowledge, despite my task being only that of clearing temples, I have found myself to have a great curiosity and many friends willing to indulge me. In game, I dare say my knowledge is near unchallenged. For your real world, I have only the vaguest descriptions."

"Then perhaps you shall be useful," Zelda said, "As guardian of the shield I am also guardian of the game and many more tasks that doubtless you do not have the capacity to understand." Link was sure he didn't show it, but her words hurt. They hurt as deeply as her easy dismissal of the product of years of soul searching. She didn't pause, "My reason for meeting you is that temple bugs are increasing yet nothing I look at can explain why."

His hurt feelings were pushed aside as he realized he might actually have something to say here. Something must have changed in his expression, for Zelda lifted a single eyebrow and waited. "Ah, Princess Zelda. Just this morning I cleared a temple so badly corrupted I could barely enter it. The damage was on a level I have never seen or heard of before. Worse," he hesitated, wondering if this was something she would care to hear, than pushed through it, "is that when I was killed within the temple, something interfered with my reboot."

"This is what I was afraid of," Zelda murmured to herself, looking off into the distance as she dealt with her own interface, making notes if Link had to guess. He sat in awkward silence, wondering if she still needed him or forgot he was there. Abruptly, she looked directly at him, "As the AI with the most interaction with the temples, is there anything else you noticed that seemed strange? Anything unusual or different from usual?"

"Well, for the past couple temples I have noticed the bug reports do not match to the actual errors in the temple, but it typically wasn't very off. I am usually only called in for clearing monsters when too many have built up but I've started to notice small bugs such as unbreakable jars or chests that won't open." Link struggled thinking over his past couple missions, but didn't know what Zelda wanted to hear. Trying to give her what she wanted he offered up a potential reason, "Last year an unannounced system update went through. Perhaps there was an error in coding?"

"Hmm," was Zelda's response, the far distanced look in her eyes again. Link fidgeted, but the look didn't last as long before her eyes refocused on him, "Thank you. If the situation changes or I require more information, I shall call upon you. You are dismissed."

Link stood then bowed, uncertain of how to deal with the situation. As he made his way to the exit he couldn't help but feel he failed to measure up.

He didn't wait to leave the castle before transferring, he just ensured he was out of sight. And rather than transfer to the market entrance, he overrode the system and landed himself in Darin's shop, startling the man.

"Link! That was fast. And a rather unexpected entrance back here," Darin asked, worry in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," Link murmured, enjoying being in the presence of someone who would often forget and treat him as real despite knowing better. Zelda had been terrifying and a force onto herself for all she had appeared so gentle sitting there.

"Are you going to keep me in suspense, why did the Princess summon you?" Darin asked, then waved him over, "And get over here, you didn't give me much time but I think I got everything gathered that you need. Check it over."

"It would appear she simply wanted a direct report on problems in the temples-" and immediately cut himself off as the soft tonal noise rang again. Even as he went to check, a part of him wondered if Zelda remembered a question she had forgotten to ask.

Only to abandon the silly thought upon actually reading the letter, "Shit. Gamers are stuck in a temple and can't leave, I have to go now." Already he was working up the codes needed to transfer directly there and barely registered it when Darin started shoving things at him.

"So busy tonight?" The joking words were belied by the serious tone and gritted teeth, by the hands shoving items at him, "Come on, come on, I know you're already half there but take these, you're going to nee-"

Link transferred.


End file.
